OGBR Division IV Girls Basketball Preview: Lake Ridge, Harvest Prep, Fort Loramie, Minster favorites
Last year Harvest Prep overcame a ridiculous second half deficit (18 points) to shock Fort Loramie in a state semifinal before beating Berlin Hiland for the state championship. Those three teams and others - including Lake Ridge and Minster - begin the run at another state title next week. Here's how we see the D-IV race stacking up... 2010 - 2011 Preview & Prognostications: Ohio High School Girls Basketball Ohio Girls Basketball Report started 13 years ago has become over the last 10 years the #1 single-state scouting service in America. Currently there are 208 colleges across America that subscribe to Ohio Girls Basketball Report and rely on the information provided by Tom Jenkins and his staff in evaluating players from Ohio. Tom has over 45 years of playing, coaching and evaluating experience associated with the game of basketball. He is devoted solely to the promotion of the game of Ohio girls basketball through his publication, Ohio Girls Basketball Report and the promotion of the players of the game through his services. Collaborating on this year's 2010-2011 Preview & Prognostications is Bryce McKey, Associate Head Coach at Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown School and Head Coach of Sports City U, ESPN's #8 ranked travel team in the country this past year. Coach McKey is credited in getting HB "over the hump" in winning their 2nd consecutive state championships in 2009 and 2010. A disciple of the legendary coach Perry Reese, Jr., Coach McKey at age 24 has been a member of the OGBR staff for the last 5 years. PREVIEW VITALS It seems as though every 6 or 7 years a chapter ends and a new chapter begins in Ohio girls high school basketball. A new chapter began in '96 as interest in the game of girls/women's basketball was re-ignited by way of the US Olympic team, in Ohio Regina reeled off 4 consecutive state championships and then this chapter culminated with Ohio's record breaking class of 2003 signing 103 NCAA D-I scholarships, solidifying our state as one of the 3 national hotbeds of girls basketball. The next chapter began in 2004 as Mt. Notre Dame furthered Ohio's position as a national hotbed with their run winning 5 state championships over a 6 year period including 4 in a row and this chapter concluded prior to the beginning of this season with the dismantling of the Mt. Notre Dame program, the closing of the doors at Regina, some schools not even being able to field a team, transfers galore and more coaching changes than you can shake a stick at. Thank goodness given the ending of the last chapter, this season is time for a new chapter in the book of Ohio girls high school basketball to began. My good friend Eric Frantz here at JJ Huddle / Ohio High Magazine has asked me to write a statewide all-division inclusive preview for this upcoming season...so the following is as Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band once sang "is like working on a mystery without any clues"...here goes...out of 798 high school basketball programs... PREVIEW SCHEDULE Nov. 15: Division IV Preview Division IV PreviewsD-IV Massillon Region (NE Ohio) Favorite(s): Lake Ridge Academy Lions Lake Ridge Academy and 1st year head coach, former Regina assistant, Keesha Allen are the benefactors of Regina closing its doors as 6 of the top 9 that would have returned to the Regina Royals are now wearing the Royal Blue & Gold of the Lions from North Ridgeville. The new look Lions are now led by top tier highly recruited players in Martha Thompson (soph) and swing player Davonna Bradford (jr) joined by guard Sharday Baines (jr), guard Kourtni Taylor (sr Evansville), post Monet Saunders (soph) and shooter Sydney Clark (soph). As if these Lions aren't loaded for bear ther roster is further strengthened with one fo the top 2 freshman post players in the state in 6'2 Alexa Hart and talented point guard Seleena Benz. Credible sources reveal transfers Destinee Brown (jr from PA), Brooke Thompson-Smith (soph from Solon) and Stephanie Vukotic (sr from Revere) have not had their eligibility cleared at the time of publication. All in all there probably is not a more talented roster in the state in any division. Note should be made amongst all the rumors and innuendos, Coach Keesha Allen was a legit hire as a quality coach and has a pre-existing relationship with Lake Ridge as a former player for Lake Ridge AD Debby Ghezzi during AD Ghezzi's tenure as head coach at Case Western Reserve University. Challenger(s): Berlin Hiland Hawks Of the 4 D-IV Final Four teams from a year ago all return at least 4 starters except the Hiland Hawks...but the Hawk system and the Hawk way of doing things do return. Plug in a new group...all who have big game big stage experience...Ashley Weaver (sr), Arianna Schrock (sr), McKenzie Miller (jr), Megan Hall (jr), Missy Mast (jr), Regan Miller ((jr) and Hannah Stoneman (jr). Like last year the Hawks will have one legit game to get back to Columbus. Last year it was Lutheran East...the Hawks found a way in a 57-52 OT win. This year it will be the roaring Lions of Lake Ridge...To paraphrase Coach Pitino.."Weaver, Yoder, Stuckey, Mast and Stutzman aren't walking thru the door"..can these Hawks find a way? D-IV Springfield Region (SW Ohio) Favorite(s): Fort Loramie Redskins No ambush...no surprises with these Redskins, as Chief Carla Siegel
returns 4 of her 5 starters, 5 of her top 6 from last year's Final 4
team with 12 players returning from Fort Loramie's state tourney roster.
The Redskins are led again this year by Janel Olbersding (sr) who has a
whole lotta "wig & wam" to her game. Returning to the warpath with
Olberding this year are seniors Clair Ruhenkamp, Brooke Turner, Tessa
Benanzer and Kristen Zumberbger. With challengers Ottoville and Delphos
Jefferson, this region will be the 2nd most competitive of the D-IV
regions. Coach Dave Klemen's Big Green from Ottoville gets the nod by a nose to be the #1 challenger to Fort Loramie come March. The inside outside game of All-District selections Tasha Kaufman (sr) and 6'2 post Abby Siefker (soph) lead the Big Green in its wave toward Columbus this year. Having a year under her belt of extremely competitive varsity basketball, Siefker should help the Big Green close in on the Redskins from Fort Loramie. Like Zenyatta in the Breeder's Cup the Jeffs from Delphos got edged
out last year at the wire in an overtime loss to Ottoville's Big Green.
All District Kristin Klausing (sr Findlay) returns to lead these
experienced 'Cats in making another run as they make it 2 years in a row
as the new Darlings of Delphos....sorry St. John's !!! Anytime a team has a quality point guard and a player that can score consistently that team has a chance. The Pats from Tri-Village have both in sophomore point guard Shaye Thomas and junior Kayla Linkous. Most will remember the fireworks ignited by Linkous last year when she lit up the scoreboard with a 61 point performance in the tournament...so for one game on one night the girls from New Madison have a shot. It seems like every 10 years there is an ol' short guy with silver
fox hair at the D-IV
Pickerington Region (Central & Eastern & part of NW Ohio) Of the 4 reigning state champions, Coach David Dennis' Warriors are
the odds on favorite to repeat this year. Of the 16 teams in last year's
Final Fours, only Harvest Prep returns all 5 starters...in fact they
return their top 8 from last year's championship team in Aryealle
"Shortee" Beavers (sr Loyola Chicago), Shicole Watts (sr Xavier),
Chelsea McKnight (sr Miami OH), the Francis twins (jrs Jarel &
Jaren), Sarah Crowder (jr), Destiny Turner (jr) and super soph Cheyenne
Rose. It would not be surprising to see the warriors of Harvest Prep go
wire to wire as the #1 team in Division IV... they are talented,
skilled, athletic and well coached. Much like Berlin Hiland in the Massillon Region, the Waterford Wildcats like last year have one legit game to get to Columbus...a year ago Harvest Prep skinned the Wildcats by 6 in the regional finals. Again like Hiland, Coach Jerry Close's Waterford Wildcats got it hard by graduation but they do return as a good a 2-guard backcourt combination as there is in Division IV in junior Emily Brown and sophomore Brooke Drayer. Whether they are a legit challenger for Harvest Prep will depend on having some kittens grow into "Cats by mid February. D-IV
Elida Region (NW Ohio) Of all the final 4 teams from a year ago, Minster returns more depth than any of the other 15 final 4 teams as the Wildcats return 8 of their top 9 including 4 starters, Delaney Wolf (sr Ashland), captain Erica Fullenkamp (sr), top tier post prospect 6'3 Tara Clune (jr) and sharpshooter Maria Dahlinghaus (sr). Scratching with the 4 returning starters to make back to back state appearances are Kayla Wuebker (jr expected to fill the pg slot), Heather Schmiesing (jr), Jayna Stechschulte (sr) and Ellen Gruber (sr). The big stage experience coupled with the returning talent along with having one of the top all-time coaches on the sideline in Coach Nann Stechschulte make Minster the pre-season favorite in this the 2nd most competitive region in the state behind the D-I Fairborn region. *Note: NW Ohio D-IV (Elida Region) is the most crowded D-IV field and 2nd most competitive region in the entire state regardless of division. Challenger(s) (listed alphabetically): Arlington Red Devils: Return the nucleus of last year's district final team including junior Amelia Recker. Marion Local Flyers: Only Minster's Coach Stechschulte has more experience in Columbus from this region than Coach Treva Fortkamp who returns seniors Alyssa Winner, Kelly Schlarman and underclassmen Margaret Wuebker (jr) & Chelsea Winner (soph) from last year's district finalist before bowing out to Minster by nine (54-45). Outside Looking In (listed alphabetically): Bucyrus Wynford Royals: Led by All-District senior Teneil Krebs, the Royals are looking to get back to Columbus for the first time since 2003. Mt. Blanchard Riverdale Falcons: Much heralded and justifiably so senior Lacy Kessler (Findlay) leads the Falcons formation as they are looking to land in Columbus for the second time in 4 years (2008). Pandora Gilboa Rockets: The Last Waltz for senior Stephanie Recker as she will remain a Rocket next year but it will be at the University of Toledo. Recker is a good a playmaker in the state with and without the ball..the question will there be enough support to get these their first berth at the Big Dance? COMING NEXT WEEK...
|
Huddle Extras
|
';